Daichi Sawamura
|Sawamura Daichi}} was previously a third-year at Karasuno High School and the captain and a wing spiker in the boys' volleyball club. During the period when the original Coach Ukai was hospitalized, he was one of the captains who had to act as the team's coach. As of 2018, he is currently part of the Miyagi Police Force. Appearance Daichi has short dark hair and dark brown eyes. He is not particularly tall among volleyball players and possesses a large build. It's been noted by many players that he seems "big" up close, to which most of the time Daichi believes he is being called fat. Daichi has a reassuring appearance that immediately gives off the aura of a captain. He is usually seen with a gentle smile on his face, but when he gets angry, his eyes glaze over intimidatingly. Personality Daichi is a very caring and responsible captain who always puts his team first. He is also very patient and understanding, but becomes terrifying when angry, though he rarely shows this behavior. He becomes very strict when his teammates are out of line, as shown when he locked out Kageyama and Hinata from the gym when they argued and refused to listen. Nevertheless, his actions have always been for the best interest of the team. Due to his devotion to his team and his command, he is both well-respected and feared by his team. Outside of his traits as a captain and team player, Daichi is incredibly mature and independent. During his first year at Karasuno, Daichi naturally emerged as a leader among him, Asahi, and Sugawara. He would suggest ways for improvement as well as recruiting Kiyoko as a manager even though the Karasuno team was left in disarray without a coach or a strong leader figure . He has been noted to not give off the impression of a high school student because of his mature personality. Despite that, Daichi occasionally has moments where he displays childish behavior, such as when he got in trouble for accidentally setting off the emergency bell while struggling with the boys' basketball team's captain during the lunchtime rush . Background Daichi went to Izumitate Junior High with Hayato Ikejiri and Yui Michimiya . He and Ikejiri played in the same volleyball team with Daichi as captain, even though they were weak. In their final tournament, they won the first match but were up against a powerhouse in the second. Almost everyone in the team started to lose hope, but Daichi never gave in. He was the only one to run and chase after the ball with all his might, even until the very end. However, they lost anyway. While the rest of the team all saw that coming and therefore were less upset, Daichi was the most affected one as he believed that they had at least a slight chance to win. In the last year of junior high, Daichi made a promise with Ikejiri since they were going to different high schools, that they would continue playing volleyball and one day meet each other on the court again. Daichi then enrolled in Karasuno High and joined the boys' volleyball club there . By then, Coach Ukai was already gone and the team had been left with a teacher advisor. As Daichi introduced himself, he announced his reason for joining Karasuno: he saw them play at nationals. The entire team went silent, but the captain complimented Daichi excitedly, announcing his goal to win the nationals. As time went by, Daichi got closer to Sugawara and Asahi. One day, after practice, they were discussing their team's lack of practice matches. Hiroki Kurokawa commented that other teams didn't want to waste their valuable time on them. Daichi thinks to himself that he'd known Karasuno wasn't the same as it used to be but he thought as long as they practiced hard, there would be a day when they would rise again. However, as the days went by, it became clear that Karasuno wasn't going to change. Refusing to give up, Daichi started staying after practice, inspiring the other first-years to do the same. Along with Sugawara and Asahi, Daichi started researching volleyball tactics and improving his receive. In the end, Karasuno lost their first match of Interhigh. Before the third years graduated, the captain announced that they had unified too late. Tearfully, he notes that Karasuno might not ever be strong again or it might be many years later but no matter what, if an opportunity comes along, the first years must grab it. However, the team ran into more problems next year when Asahi started losing confidence in himself as the ace. During the match against Date Tech, he stopped asking for tosses in the middle of the game and Daichi had to cover for him. In the end, he was blocked and Karasuno lost the match. That night, Asahi and Nishinoya had a huge fight, leading to the former storming out of the gym . As Sugawara cleans up the mess, Daichi reassures him that it isn't his fault, knowing well how his teammate feels as the setter. He explains that Asahi was overburdened, but there are instances where they can only rely on the ace. They're inexperienced and lacking as a team, but they don't have any other plan at the moment except to keep practicing. Plot Karasuno High Team Formation Arc Daichi attends Kitagawa Daiichi’s match against Yukigaoka with Sugawara and Tanaka to see how the “King of the Upper Court” plays . Throughout the match, Daichi is impressed by Hinata’s high jumps and notes that if Yukigaoka had a proper setter, Hinata would become an incredible asset. On the other hand, Kageyama seems to not make good use of the players around him and appears to be playing the match completely on his own. On the first day of school, Daichi receives the first years’ registrations from Kiyoko and remarks with disappointment that there aren’t that many this year. As he looks over them, he suddenly stutters in shock as he recognizes one of them. Daichi, Sugawara, and Tanaka walk to the gym together for practice after school while talking about Kageyama and wondering why he’s at Karasuno. As he arrives, he sees the first year in the gym and greets him. Daichi thanks Kageyama for coming and then asks him about his height. As they talk, they neglect Hinata, who loudly calls for their attention. Surprised by his presence, Daichi quickly looks through the registrations and remarks that he’s surprised they both came to Karasuno. Suddenly, Kageyama insults Hinata, which leads to a small argument. Daichi tries to tell them that since they’re teammates now, they should get along, but the two are too busy arguing to hear him. Their fight ends up catching the vice principal’s attention and Daichi tries to explain that they’re just passionate about volleyball. However, the two first years then challenge each other to a mini-match and Daichi has to yell at them. Despite that, they continue anyway and end up knocking the vice principal’s wig off his head and onto Daichi’s head. The vice-principal gravely tells Daichi to go outside with him and thirty minutes later, Daichi returns to inform them that the vice-principal won’t punish them. Before he can continue, Kageyama starts yelling at Hinata. Angry, Daichi cuts in and starts to explain Karasuno’s past and their current status as “Flightless Crows”. He wants to end that reputation and go to nationals again. Kageyama points out that there are a lot of other teams with the same goal and Daichi acknowledges that. However, he’s serious about his aim. He doesn’t need the two first years to be friends, but he needs them to be teammates so, despite their talent and determination, he can’t have guys who fight on the team. With that said, he slams the first years’ registrations into their faces and kicks them out of the gym. Sugawara asks Daichi if he’s sure and Daichi angrily affirms it, explaining that they can’t practice the way they are now. Suddenly, Kageyama exclaims that he’ll work with Hinata and Daichi opens the door to see if he’s serious. Sheepishly, Kageyama replies that he’ll rather play by himself and Daichi responds that in a game like volleyball that focuses so much on teamwork, Kageyama can't be by himself. '3-on-3 First Years Match' Nearing the end of practice, Tanaka wonders if the two first years will try to challenge them to a match for their admission. Daichi replies that if the two do return, he wonders if Kageyama will use his true talent. Just then, the two first years outside call for Daichi. Tanaka opens the door to the first years still standing outside. They then challenge the upperclassmen to a match. Daichi goes to the door and asks them what they would do if they lose and Kageyama confidently replies that they’ll accept any punishment. Daichi accepts and turns the match into a 3-on-3 with the other first years. He easily persuades Tanaka to join Hinata and Kageyama’s team and proposes that if Kageyama loses, he won’t be allowed to play as a setter while the third years are still here. Seeing Kageyama’s outrage, Daichi explains that the way Kageyama is right now won’t help them win. Kageyama yells that he’s a setter only and Daichi replies that as long as he wins, it should be okay. Resigned, Kageyama accepts it and the upperclassmen go back to practicing. As they reenter the gym, Sugawara wonders why Daichi’s being so rough on the first years and the captain explains that Kageyama’s talented, but he needs to fix his self-centered personality if he’s going to play on the team. However, if Kageyama plays together with Hinata, they may be able to form an incredible combo. On the day of the 3-on-3, Daichi joins the other first years’ team, much to Hinata’s dismay . As the match begins, Tsukishima tries to provoke Hinata and Kageyama and an amused Daichi remarks that he has a bad personality. The match starts and Daichi shocks Hinata and Kageyama with his superb receiving skills. Daichi calls to Kageyama and reminds him that as an upperclassman, he has been practicing his defensive abilities much longer. A little while into the match, Tsukishima picks on Hinata and Kageyama again. Tanaka rushes to his teammates’ defense, but to his confusion, Daichi stops him. When Hinata and Kageyama pull off their first quick strike , Daichi’s shocked when he realizes Hinata had his eyes closed. Tsukishima asks him to explain and Daichi says that Hinata had hit the ball while trusting Kageyama completely. He notes that it’s hard to understand how Hinata can trust someone like that, especially his rival. In the end, Daichi’s team loses. Tanaka approaches him and Sugawara and asks incredulously if they’d known Hinata and Kageyama would team up like that. Daichi admits that he thought Hinata would be able to match Kageyama, but the two exceeded his expectations completely and ended up creating an amazing combo. He then goes to Tsukishima and asks him how he felt about the match. Tsukishima responds that he doesn’t particularly care and knew he would lose to Kageyama. Daichi points out that Tsukishima still got pretty serious during the match. At that moment, Hinata and Kageyama run over to Daichi and hand in their registrations. Daichi accepts them and asks Kiyoko if the jackets came in. She brings over the boxes with the jackets and after the first years put them on, the upperclassmen officially welcome them into the club. As the first years are celebrating with Tanaka, Daichi sighs and remarks to Sugawara and Kiyoko that things are finally settled for now. He watches the underclassmen with Tanaka and says to Sugawara that he and Tanaka helped and Sugawara begins panicking, afraid that Daichi discovered the secret practices. 'Aobajōsai Practice Match' After practice, the team heads down to Sakanoshita Shop. Along the way, Kageyama brings up the practice match against Aobajōsai and apologizes to Sugawara. When Sugawara replies that he’ll be happy to see Kageyama defeat his former teammates, Daichi adds that they would dominate as a team . He later discusses the lineup with the team after asking Kageyama about his feelings towards a set with Hinata. Though the team is reluctant about Hinata’s success with his attacks, Daichi confidently insists that they will still try. However, Hinata proves to be more nervous than Daichi anticipated. The match starts poorly as Hinata makes all sorts of mistakes, culminating in him serving into the back of Kageyama’s head. However, Tanaka and Kageyama resolve the issues, surprising Daichi who remarks that it’s a relief to have them here. Karasuno wins the first set and Sugawara remarks that he’s glad Aobajōsai doesn’t have a server like Kageyama. Daichi agrees, noting that their defense isn’t good enough. Just as they say this, the official setter for Aobajōsai arrives. Oikawa proves to be a much stronger server than Kageyama and aims for Tsukishima, taking him off-guard. Daichi quickly steps in, expanding his sphere of defense, but there are still holes. The ball gets past him, but it’s saved and sent to the first-year duo, who scores and wins the match. Despite the victory, Daichi is uneasy and remarks that Kageyama and Hinata are strong, but overall, the team is still lacking. Oikawa suddenly appears and agrees with Daichi, pointing out Karasuno’s shortcomings. He leaves after a comment on Karasuno’s preparation for the upcoming Interhigh. Kageyama apologizes for Oikawa, but Daichi doesn't seem faltered. He agrees that there’s not a lot of time left for them, but a crucial member of their team is returning . 'Asahi and Nishinoya’s Return' After the team returns to the school, Daichi heads home with the others. As they’re discussing their role, Daichi states that they are lacking a lot in terms of positions and coaching. Sugawara adds that Karasuno isn’t a powerhouse, but they’re not weak by any means. If they could reunite their members and combine the first years’ prowess, they could go to Nationals. The next day, Daichi arrives at the gym to see Nishinoya, who’s returned to the club. The team catches up for a little bit until Nishinoya asks about Asahi. When he realizes that Asahi’s still missing, he storms out, leaving the third years with troubled expressions. After Hinata brings Nishinoya back to practice, Daichi explains to Takeda that if Nishinoya comes back, it’ll be encouraging because of his large presence. Suga later remarks that they have the strongest team because of the first year combo and Daichi hopes that it’ll be a change for the better. Suga then scolds him for his weak-spirited comment. Later on, during practice, Takeda asks if Karasuno is still doing the Golden Week Training Camp and Daichi affirms, stating that they need a lot more practice . He’s surprised when Takeda announces that they will have a practice match against Nekoma at the end. Daichi then ends practice with a short motivational speech. He’s approached by Nishinoya, who tells him that he won’t be participating. Daichi asks if it’s because of Asahi and Nishinoya apologizes for being selfish, but Daichi reassures him that he understands, but tells him to come to the training camp anyway. The next day, Daichi heads to practice and sees Asahi standing outside the gym. Knowing why he’s there, Daichi simply states that they have a practice match set up. When Asahi’s scared by it, Daichi yells at him and stops him from running away. He asks if Asahi’s heard that Nekoma’s coming. He remarks that from their perspective, it’s like hearing folklore, but this match will be something like a revival for them. Asahi sadly replies that he can’t face Sugawara or Nishinoya. Daichi teases Asahi, calling him wimpy for someone with that build. However, he reassures Asahi that the others would accept him back. It doesn’t matter what Asahi’s done so far; as long as he still likes volleyball, then it’s enough of a reason for him to return. On the day of the practice match against the Neighborhood Association, Ukai notices that Nishinoya isn’t playing and starts interrogating him. Daichi quickly steps in and tries to reason with Ukai, but Nishinoya is forced into the game anyway. Sugawara plays on the opposite team and impresses the underclassmen with his sets. Daichi eagerly brags about Sugawara’s skills. He’s later seen looking on proudly as Asahi finally recovers and can openly call for a toss again . As the second set starts, Tanaka happily calls Daichi over to look at Asahi after his powerful spike. Daichi remarks that with Asahi’s revival, it’s going to be harder for them, but he seems pleased by it. At the end of the match, Daichi tells Sugawara that he’s made a comeback too. Sugawara teasingly apologizes for being hesitant and timid all the time and Daichi replies that he’s never said those things . He then welcomes Nishinoya back before turning his attention to Asahi, calling him a greenhorn wing spiker who’s only an ace in name. 'Nekoma Practice Match' At the end of the training camp, Nekoma and Karasuno finally meet . Daichi and Kuroo shake hands with friendly smiles, but Daichi notices that Kuroo’s the cunning type. He goes back to his team and gives them a motivating speech. Daichi acknowledges that their team had just been assembled so they’re mismatched around the edges and they may run into a wall, but when that happens, it’ll be their chance to surpass it. Once Hinata starts getting blocked by Inuoka, he apologizes to the team for his mistakes. Daichi reassures him to try out his new techniques since they’ll be right behind him, defending his back . True to his word, Daichi recovers the next spike that Hinata misses, allowing Karasuno another chance to attack. He keeps an eye on Hinata, making sure to reassure him to not strain himself and lose sight of the bigger picture. Karasuno loses the match but gains new friendships with Nekoma. Daichi bonds with Kai by complaining about Asahi . In the end, he shakes hands with Kuroo with friendly smiles again, but this time, they’re competing to see who can crush the other’s hands. Interhigh Arc Tokyo Expedition Arc Spring High Preliminary Arc In the match against Wakutani South , he collided with Tanaka to receive the ball, leading to injuries to his face and lost a molar tooth even when he did not appear to be concussed. He had to be taken out of the game. Ennoshita was substituted for him. Statistics Daichi's weapon isn't his attack, but his solid receive. He is considered a defensive specialist, and along with Nishinoya, is often tasked with handling difficult receives (such as Oikawa's serve) or covering for another teammate's mistakes. Daichi has also commanded formation shifts to cover for the opponents' attacks. His knowledge of the game resulted from having to learn many tactics by himself during freshman year due to the lack of a coach. After the Tokyo Expedition Arc, he has improved his solid receive, flying fall receive, and soft block. He also says that he feels like he can see the opposing spiker's movements more clearly than before. Adding onto that, it's shown that he can use the opposing spiker's form to read the spiker's course. Height and reach, as of mid-November: * Fingertip Height: 223 cm * Jumping Reach: 310 cm (spike) / 298 cm (block) Skills *'Solid Receives: '''Daichi is one of the defensive pillars of the team and is often tasked with some of the most difficult receives. He is capable in both underhand and overhand receives, allowing him to save the powerful spike serves as well as the tricky jump floaters . His expertise in receives is a result of his observing the spikers' forms and deducing the path of the spike. *'Back Row Attack': Daichi has increased his participation in offense with a back-row attack off a synchronized attack. Although he isn't as skilled as Asahi and Tanaka, he is capable in his own right and has come through for his team in crucial moments . This tactic is particularly effective in that opponents least expect Daichi to spike while he's in the back row. Relationships Karasuno High *'Kōshi Sugawara: Daichi has a close relationship with Sugawara, having been friends since their first years. They know each other very well and rely on each other as teammates and friends as they've been through the ups and downs of their team together. Along with Asahi, they often hang out together outside of the team. Sugawara also seems to be the only member of Karasuno who can lecture Daichi and occasionally be immune to his intimidation. *Asahi Azumane: Daichi has a close relationship with Karasuno's ace spiker and enjoys teasing him. Along with Sugawara, they've been through the ups and downs of their team together since joining together in their first year. They often hang out with one another outside of team activities. Daichi believes in Asahi's abilities and commitment, even trusting him to return to the team despite Asahi's reluctant attitude at that time. Because of this and Daichi's general reassuring disposition, Asahi respects Daichi as a teammate and captain. *Kiyoko Shimizu: Daichi is close to Kiyoko as he was the one who recruited her into Karasuno in their first year. They occasionally talk to each other outside of team activities. Daichi also finds her attractive. *Ryūnosuke Tanaka' and 'Yū Nishinoya: Daichi believes in the two second years' incredible skills, but is often exasperated by their wild behavior and lack of responsibility. *Tobio Kageyama, '''Shōyō Hinata, and Kei Tsukishima: Daichi initially threw out Kageyama and Hinata because of their antagonistic relationship, but this was later revealed to be part of a plan to get the two to collaborate to form an incredible attack pair for Karasuno. He believes in the two's abilities and cares a lot for them, but often has to break up their arguments. Daichi cares about Tsukishima as well but didn't know how to help him overcome his lack of passion towards volleyball. In the end, he's glad that Tsukishima was able to work it out himself. Other Schools *'Hayato Ikejiri': Daichi went to the same junior high as Ikejiri and they were on the volleyball team together. Ikejiri was inspired by Daichi back then because of his unwavering determination in winning a match despite the huge probability of their team losing. Even now, nearly three years since they last saw each other, Ikejiri still remembers Daichi's quote, "We'll never win if we don't believe we can." They apparently lost contact after graduating junior high, but after their teams went up against each other in the Interhigh, they've become close again and see each other more often. After Interhigh, Ikejiri is shown to support Daichi by giving encouragement to him and cheering on Karasuno in its matches. *'Tetsurō Kuroo': Daichi and Kuroo share a mutual respect as they are both team captains and many times look out for their teammates and underclassmen. Most of their interactions take place during the training camps where their teams play against one another. It was during one of these camps that Kuroo approached Daichi to apologize for upsetting Tsukishima. Kuroo occasionally teases Daichi for the Karasuno team doing the most penalties during the camps and Daichi later hints to Oikawa that he and his team became stronger thanks to help from Kuroo and Bokuto. Both also share the goal to have their teams face one another at Nationals. Quotes }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} Trivia *Favorite Food: Shoyu ramen. *Current Concern: His incessant dreams about the vice principal's flying wig. *He wears white gym shoes with black accents. * Because the underclassmen frequently misbehave, he always has to be around. *He is officially the series' second-biggest eater. *Daichi forms a set with Sugawara and Asahi. His jersey number (#1) is symbolic of his solid receive and how an underarm pass is usually the first contact. *According to some extras by Furudate, Daichi has two younger siblings. *In , it was revealed that Daichi picked Karasuno for two reasons: he was inspired after watching its Boys' Volleyball Team play in the Spring High on TV (it was a match that “he’d never forget”), and he lives near Karasuno High. *His star sign is Capricorn. *In the English dubbing of the anime, he is one of the few characters referred to by his first name instead of his last name. *Furudate gave him this name because "His surname simply came to me. I decided on his name without much trouble because I finished his character first. I like the way “Daichi-san” sounds."Haikyū!! Guidebook *In Haikyuu's first popularity poll, Sawamura placed 12th with 2,646 votes. In the second, he rose to 11th with 4,634 votes. *'Nomenclature': **Daichi (大地) - Ground; Earth **Sawamura (澤村) - Swamp Village References }} Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Karasuno High Volleyball Club Category:Wing Spikers Category:Captains Category:3rd Year